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Volkswagen adds Ghana to its list of African assembly plants

By: Irma Venter 21st August 2020 Volkswagen has cut the ribbon on a new vehicle assembly facility in Accra, the capital of Ghana. This makes Ghana the fifth Volkswagen vehicle assembly location in sub-Saharan Africa, with the other plants in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Rwanda. →

Schäfer leaves VWSA to become ŠKODA Auto CEO

By: Irma Venter 21st August 2020 Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) chairperson and MD Thomas Schäfer is leaving the local arm of the German carmaker to join ŠKODA Auto as its new global CEO, effective August 3. The Czech brand has been a member of the Volkswagen group since 1991. →

The time for S Africa to shift to EV production is now, says TIPS report

By: Irma Venter 20th August 2020 South African policy-makers and automobile manufacturing sector stakeholders need to develop a coherent strategy for the shift to the production of electrical vehicles (EVs), or fall behind global developments and lose their edge in the export market. This emerged as a key message from a report... →

Govt ‘in contact’ with companies that have shelved investment pledges

By: Terence Creamer 19th August 2020 Department of Trade, Industry and Competition director-general Lionel October reported on Wednesday that government would continue to engage with those companies that had withdrawn investment pledges made in 2019 with the intention of reviving the projects should conditions change. Earlier this... →

Photo by Creamer Media
DTIC director-general Lionel October

Covid-19 hands Metair R250m bill, Loock to oversee recovery as a consultant

By: Irma Venter 19th August 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic has cost Metair around R250-million, taking into account the measures taken to keep employees safe, as well as the total shutdown of manufacturing, says CFO Sjoerd Douwenga. This number, however, does not include the profit lost, he adds. →

Theo Loock

Sappi, Fiat in project to help reduce the carbon footprint of cars

By: Irma Venter 14th August 2020 Sappi’s Symbio biocomposite cellulose fibre, derived from responsibly managed renewable forests, has been chosen as the feedstock for the development of lightweight biocomposite materials for the Life Biobcompo project. This project aims to reduce vehicle carbon dioxide emissions by 8% through... →

Fiat Chrysler SA appoints new CEO

By: Irma Venter 14th August 2020 As part of a restructuring in some African markets, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has announced the appointment of Ismaeel Hassen as the new CEO for FCA South Africa (SA). Outgoing CEO Pierre Martin Bos will now head up the company’s operations in Morocco. →

EVs of all kinds to overtake ICEs by 2030, says KPMG survey

By: Irma Venter 13th August 2020 For the first time in the history of the KPMG Global Automotive Executive Survey, executives think that by 2030 the largest share of vehicles will not be powered by an internal combustion engine (ICE). Executives also feel that fuel-cell electric vehicles (FECVs), battery-electric vehicles... →

Naacam, Proudly SA launch portal for face shield producers

By: Irma Venter 12th August 2020 The National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers (Naacam) has joined forces with Proudly South Africa (SA) to launch a Web portal to list the manufacturers of locally produced face shields and visors. A similar portal was launched for face mask producers in May. →

It’s all online now, just like buying computers and houses, says Motomatch

By: Irma Venter 11th August 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic has seen the proliferation and expansion of online tools in an effort to deal with the demands of physical distancing, with this also the case in the automotive industry. One of these tools is Motomatch, a virtual marketplace and lead generator that aims to assist dealers... →

New-vehicle export revenue declined by R21bn in H1 2020

By: Irma Venter 11th August 2020 Vehicle exports from South Africa declined by 73 419 vehicles, or 40.3%, in the first half of the year compared with 2019, says National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) trade, exports and research executive manager Dr Norman Lamprecht. This decline saw vehicle... →

Norman Lamprecht

Create, own your own driving data through AA Connected Car

By: Irma Venter 7th August 2020 Ordinary motorists may now have access to the digital details of their driving behaviour and vehicle performance, through the launch of the Automobile Association (AA’s) Connected Car. “This is a truly fantastic product which will not only give individual drivers, but also fleet managers, access... →

Gert Pretorius (left) and Willem Groenewald

2020 Sasol Solar Challenge postponed to early 2021

By: Irma Venter 7th August 2020 The 2020 Sasol Solar Challenge (SSC) has been postponed to early 2021. The solar car racing event is provisionally scheduled to take place from February 19 to February 26, 2021, instead of September this year, as initially planned, say the organisers. →

Cautious optimism in used-car market, says AutoTrader

By: Irma Venter 7th August 2020 There is reason for “cautious optimism” when it comes to the used-car market in South Africa, says AutoTrader CEO George Mienie. “Prices have begun to increase – albeit slightly – while cars are also selling faster than experienced earlier this year. Both of these factors bode well for the... →

Fiat, Peugeot merge to form Stellantis, but no changes yet in South Africa

By: Irma Venter 7th August 2020 Peugeot (Groupe PSA) and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) have announced the corporate name of the new group as they move towards the completion of a 50:50 merger as defined in the combination agreement announced on December 18 last year. The corporate name of the new automaker will be Stellantis. →

Hyundai installs rooftop solar system at its parts centre

By: Irma Venter 7th August 2020 Hyundai Automotive South Africa (HASA) has cut the ribbon on a more than R3-million solar energy system at its parts distribution centre (PDC) in Ekurhuleni. →

Local vehicle production to decline by 31% in 2020, says Naamsa

By: Irma Venter 5th August 2020 Following record new-vehicle production of 631 983 units in 2019, supported by record vehicle exports, 2020 vehicle production is expected to decline by about 31%, to 435 500 units, says the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) in its newest quarterly business... →

Sluggish growth in safety features on entry-level cars, says AA report

By: Irma Venter 5th August 2020 The number of safety features on entry-level vehicles remains low in South Africa, although there have been some positive developments. This is according to the 2020 Automobile Association (AA) Entry-Level Vehicle Safety (ELVS) report, which assesses available safety features on entry-level... →

July new-vehicle sales decline by 30%

By: Irma Venter 4th August 2020 Total South African new-vehicle sales declined by 29.6% in July, to 32 396 units, compared with the 46 042 vehicles sold in the same month last year. The new-passenger-car market fell by 35.8% to 18 905 units. →

Volkswagen adds Ghana to its list of African assembly plants

By: Irma Venter 4th August 2020 Volkswagen has cut the ribbon on a new vehicle assembly facility in Accra, the capital of Ghana. This makes Ghana the fifth Volkswagen vehicle assembly location in sub-Saharan Africa, with the other plants in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Rwanda. →

Schäfer leaves VWSA to become ŠKODA Auto CEO

By: Irma Venter 3rd August 2020 Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) chairperson and MD Thomas Schäfer is departing the local arm of the German car maker to join ŠKODA Auto as its new global CEO, effective August 3. The Czech brand has been part of the Volkswagen group since 1991. →

Thomas Schäfer

Used-car market value climbs 3.8% to more than R100bn, says AutoTrader

By: Irma Venter 3rd August 2020 AutoTrader’s new yearly used-car industry report, launched on August 3, shows that South Africans used the country’s largest digital used-car trading portal to conduct 401-million online searches from July last year to the end of June this year. This is an all-time record and an almost 40%... →

New-vehicle pricing increasing sharply, shows TransUnion index

By: Irma Venter 31st July 2020 The South African car market experienced record lows in the second quarter of the year, as the combination of minimal trading owing to the Covid-19 lockdown and the depressed economy saw a 71% decline in the number of new and used cars financed over the same period in 2019. This is according to... →

Ariya electric car, five new SUVs destined for local market – Nissan SA

By: Irma Venter 31st July 2020 Nissan South Africa (Nissan SA) will launch seven new models in South Africa in the next two years in an effort to streamline its product portfolio in line with international developments at the Japanese manufacturer, says Nissan SA CEO Shinkichi Izumi. These launches will have a strong focus on... →

Coega Development Corporation to implement Tshwane auto SEZ

By: Irma Venter 31st July 2020 The Coega Development Corporation (CDC), the developer and operator of the Coega Special Economic Zone (SEZ), has been appointed as the implementing agent to develop and operate the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (TASEZ). The CDC, as a public entity, is the implementing agent of... →

Mazda unveils new BT-50 bakkie

By: Irma Venter 31st July 2020 Mazda Motor Corporation has lifted the veil on its all-new Mazda BT-50 bakkie. Fully redesigned for the first time in nine years, the new BT-50 is supplied by fellow Japanese manufacturer Isuzu Motor Limited. →

BMW to set up pilot plant as it aims for large scale battery-cell production

By: Irma Venter 30th July 2020 The BMW Group will set up a pilot plant to produce lithium-ion battery cells. This comes as the German car maker seeks to penetrate all aspects of the battery-cell value chain: from selection of materials, to battery cell composition and design, all the way to near-standard production and... →

Protoype battery production

'Relief' as Toyota confirms R2.5bn hybrid production in Durban

By: African News Agency 29th July 2020 KwaZulu-Natal's MEC for economic development, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, on Wednesday expressed "relief" after Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) confirmed a R2.5 billion investment in the province's automotive economy. The company will be building a hybrid synergy drive (petro-electric) car at its plant... →

Photo by Supplied by KZN EDTEA
KZN MEC for Economic Development, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs during a meeting with Toyota South Africa

National Automobile Dealers’ Association appoints Marcia Mayaba as VP

By: Irma Venter 28th July 2020 Barloworld Motor Retail franchise executive Marcia Mayaba has been elected as National Automobile Dealers’ Association (Nada) VP. “We are extremely excited to have Marcia on board,” says Nada chairperson Mark Dommisse. “We look forward to working closely with her on various matters impacting... →

Marcia Mayaba

Nissan’s Mike Whitfield elected as AAAM president

By: Irma Venter 28th July 2020 Nissan Africa South (NAS) chairperson Mike Whitfield has been elected president of the African Association of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM). He replaces Volkswagen Group of South Africa chairperson and MD Thomas Schäfer. →

Mike Whitfield

Cautious optimism in used-car market, says AutoTrader

By: Irma Venter 27th July 2020 There is reason for “cautious optimism” when it comes to the used-car market in South Africa, says AutoTrader CEO George Mienie. “Prices have begun to increase – albeit slightly – while cars are also selling faster than experienced earlier this year. Both of these factors bode well for the... →

Premium car market to decline by 35%, Land Rover to gain from new Defender

By: Irma Venter 24th July 2020 South Africa’s new premium car market was down 45% for the first six months of the year compared with 2019, says Jaguar Land Rover South Africa (JLR SA) MD Richard Gouverneur. “We are expecting a gradual recovery for the rest of the year. We expect that the premium market will be down 35% for the... →

The new 110 Defender

Toyota starts construction on R365m parts warehouse

By: Irma Venter 24th July 2020 Work has begun in earnest at the Toyota Parts Distribution Warehouse, in Atlas road, East Rand, where Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) is doubling the facility’s size from 40 000 m² to 80 000 m². TSAM is investing R365-million in the project and, when completed in 2021, the facility will be the... →

Covid-19 is pushing back start of Navara production, says Nissan SA

By: Irma Venter 24th July 2020 The start of assembly of the one-ton Navara pick-up at Nissan South Africa’s (Nissan SA’s) Rosslyn plant, in Pretoria, has been pushed back from November to early next year, says Nissan Group of Africa MD Shinkichi Izumi. “Covid-19 has caused a slight delay in the start of production.” →

BMW SA expects premium market to slump by 20%

By: Irma Venter 24th July 2020 The South African premium new-car market will probably decline by about 20% in 2020, says BMW Group South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa (BMW SA) CEO Tim Abbott. Although he expects a slight improvement in the second half of the year from the first half, “we don’t see a recovery better than that”. →

Lower human activity limiting tyre sales

By: Tracy Hancock 24th July 2020 Every business is going to face the consequences of lower human activity and, thereby, commercial activity, as South Africans consume less or differently, owing to Covid-19, says automotive tyre manufacturer and supplier Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (Sumitomo Dunlop) CEO Riaz Haffejee. Tyre sales... →

REBOUNDING DEMAND Demand for Sumitomo Dunlop’s tyres is increasing since the restrictions of lockdown have eased

Fiat, Peugeot merger to form Stellantis, no changes yet in South Africa

By: Irma Venter 22nd July 2020 Peugeot (Groupe PSA) and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) have announced the corporate name of the new group as they move toward the completion of a 50:50 merger as defined in the combination agreement announced on December 18, last year. The corporate name of the new auto maker will be Stellantis. →

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